Friday, 21 April 2017

Card Discussion: Vortex Trooper

Vortex Trooper is witnessing a rise in usage recently. Today we see why:
The previous time we saw Vortex Trooper was back during Majespector-Metalfoes era. It served as a useful card to cycle your own Metalfoes S/T back to the deck, for them to be set onto the field.

WIND Aqua EffectLevel 30/1200 When this card is Normal Summoned: You can shuffle 2 cards from your hand into the Deck, then draw 2 cards. When this card is destroyed: Draw 1 card.

In a True Draco deck, Vortex Trooper provides the user to cycle cards back to the deck, similarly to what it once did in Metalfoes - salvage poor opening hands. However, it has an additional utility of being targets for your True Draco trap cards, when you have no other better targets to select. Being a 0/1200 monster, it is very vulnerable, so there is no harm in destroying it yourself when you have the opportunity.But what about Baobaboon?

A running gag in the local community started back during the release of Maximum Crisis. I purchased 8 packs, and ended up not having a single copy of Baobaboon, so I went: " WHAT is this? Baobaboon normal rare? "But that is behind us.... right?

Nope, people still say that when they see me. This mistake is gonna hunt me for the remainder of the year.

Anyway.....

If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can draw 1 card, then place 1 card from your hand on either the top or bottom of your Deck. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon any number of "Baobaboon" from your Deck.

Baobaboon was very popular due to its swarming capabilities previously. This was mainly due to the Zoodiac engine, where both Zoodiac Barrage and Dragonic Diagram provided the user with methods to destroy Baobaboon. The latter can even destroy it from the hand. With Terraforming effectively being your 4th to 6th copies of a field spell, you get 9 cards to destroy it. That is almost 25% of your deck.

Vortex Trooper cycles two cards, as opposed to Baobaboon's single card swap. When destroyed, Vortex Trooper provides you a draw, while Baobaboon swarms the field with two additional copies. Now, with Zoodiac's demise, you don't value a Rank 3 engine as much as before.

Vortex Trooper compensates for itself, and as a WIND Attribute, it allows my Invoked-MasterPeace deck to have a WIND monster fuel for Fusion summoning Invoked Raideen. This is extremely valuable given the fact that WIND monsters are quite rare in the metagame. You have Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring as a FIRE attribute and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit as your LIGHT. For this reason, the DARK Attribute Baobaboon also hurts an Invoked-MasterPeace deck. Invoked Raideen has a useful ability to hamper your opponent's momentum before it snowballs and lays plenty of monster threats to rest.

Conclusion

I would probably still play Baobaboon over Vortex Trooper in my Metalfoes deck. Super Quantum Mecha Beast Granpulse can help me destroy my own Metalfoes Combination to assemble my Pendulum scales, so I won't dismiss our Level 3 plant monster just yet.

Baobaboon also has an advantage that Vortex Trooper doesn't share, and that is the support it receives from its archetype - Plant. As of now, Aqua monsters have yet to get their own Lonefire Blossom. So if you are looking to rush it out, Lonfire Blossom will help.

Still waiting for the day where I can chain Trasmification Proherpcy to my destroyed Baobaboon's effect, this way I can summon THREE Baobaboon from my deck.WAHHAHAHA. ....... One can always hope.